Dreams Are Not For Sleeping
by HappinessAwaitingMe
Summary: Casey loves too hard, in Derek's opinion. But for that reason, she is beautiful to him.


**Author's Note: I started this back in May, and I just found it on my computer and decided to finish it today. I feel very connected to Casey as a character, because I am one of those people that loves deeply and doesn't let go easily. Derek admires Casey for all the things he cannot be. There is a certain connection there, and I wanted to explore that here.**

 **I am always happy to read your reviews and hear your thoughts. Thank you so much for reading.**

 _Casey looks beautiful when she sleeps. WOAH what the fuck, did I just think that?_ Derek Venturi shook his head and tried to clear his mind.

Casey had a rough week; she found out Truman had been rating freshman girls. He had promised not to do it, and Casey flipped because he was spending time and effort looking at other chicks. _Personally, I think Truman is a little too old to be rating freshman_.

After three days of fighting, Truman broke up with Case for being a "prude." _Honestly, it's all a little ridiculous. Truman should stick to girls his own age._

When Casey came home from school on Friday, she went straight up to her room and shut the door. Nora knocked a few times, but Casey never answered.

Casey was always sure to give everyone a recap of her day at dinner. Casey was a serious person; she did not get involved in something just for fun. Everything she did was well thought out, and the pros must outweigh cons. She was special that way; what she loved, she loved hard. She doesn't let go, and she doesn't give up on them. That's why break ups hit her so hard. Not one guy she had ever dated had the same conviction she did.

 _I'm not surprised she's not talking tonight,_ Derek thought as Edwin and Lizzie told the family about this video project they had for social studies. _Casey always thinks the best of people, and she must really be let down right now._ Derek peeked at her between bites of the spaghetti on his plate, seeing her push the noodles around on her plate.

"We're going to film Derek playing hockey." Edwin's declaration broke Derek's concentration on Casey.

"And Casey dancing!" Lizzie added. Casey's head turned slightly toward her sister, a small tug at the corner of her mouth suggested a smile. _It's hard being the older sibling. They always look up to you and want to know about how cool your life is; when things aren't easy, you can't say anything at all._ In that moment, Derek felt Casey's pain. There is no point in disappointing Lizzie and Edwin, because they will have to face their own heartbreaks.

Lizzie and Edwin chattered on until their plates were cleared, one filling the silence when the other chewed. It was also their turn to do the dishes, so when they started clearing the plates, Casey excused herself.

The click of her door closing behind her was barely audible.

* * *

"But that's not fair!" One of Marti's friends wailed from the living room, some great injustice being done upon her. Derek shook his head as he waded into the sea of little girls in princess dresses, cat ears and Halloween costumes. This Friday was the McDonald-Venturi's turn to host the bi-monthly sleepover of Marti and her friends. Judging by the state of the living room, scattered with toys and clothes, it was already a wild night.

Stepping over one girl dressed as a princess witch lying on the floor, Derek opened the door to his best friend Sam. Sam was bringing tidings of high calorie snacks and horror movies. They didn't get very many weekends off from hockey, so when they did, they always veg'd out in Derek's room.

Escaping the squealing six year olds, Sam and Derek made their way back upstairs with a few sodas from the fridge in tow. Derek knew Casey could hear Sam's voice traveling up the stairs, but she did not poke her head out to say hello. Even though her relationship with Sam crashed and burned in a fiery pit, they were still good friends. _I don't think I could stand to be friends with any of my ex's. So, so vapid. So, so annoying. Sam is a different breed of guy._

"Casey's not okay, is she?" Sam quizzed as he scattered the snacks and movies across Derek's bed.

"She certainly appears to be in a mood, but I haven't talked to her."

"Dude, come on. She's your sister."

" _Step_ -sister. And it's not like she's come to me for advice or melodramatically told the whole world about it either. If she doesn't want to talk, then I'm happy to not hear it." Derek shrugged. Casey would never confide in him. As far as she was concerned, he was one of her problems.

Shaking his head, Sam walked back out the door. "Where are you going, man?" Sam didn't answer him.

Derek shrugged; Sam was coming back, all his shit was lying all over his comforter. Turning on his tv, he heard murmuring from Casey's room. _Maybe she's on the phone with her dad. I know they haven't talked in awhile._ Shrugging again, he moved to play the first DVD. Sam had gone all out tonight, bringing _The Shining_. The mini-series, not the one with Jack Nicholson being an abusive douche. It was going to be an all-nighter for the boys. Derek was excited, though he would never admit it. Sam had started dating Abby, a girl from the academic team. _Totally without cool factor_ , shaking his head at Sam's taste in girls. _But Sam seems happy_ , so with another characteristic shrug, he got comfortable on the bed waiting for Sam to return.

A few minutes later, already digging into the twizzlers and Dr. Pepper, Derek looked up to see Sam walk into the room, Casey following quietly behind him.

"Case is going to watch with us, okay, Derek?" Derek raised his eyebrows, but shrugged. _I have got to stop doing that_.

"Pop a squat, Case. Lemme move some of this crap." Sliding the snacks toward the end of the bed, he gave her a pillow and moved to the side of his bed. Sam slid down onto the floor, leaning against the foot of the bed. Derek reached up over where Casey was sitting cross-legged on the bed and switched off the lights. Pressing play, the opening credits rolled.

"Case, you want another Dr. Pepper? I gotta make a fridge run." Derek was gathering up empty twizzler bags, soda cans and m&m wrappers. They had just finished part two of The Shining, and Sam was curled around his knees at the end of his bed. "Case?"

She wasn't answering him, and he figured she was ignoring him, as per usual. As he walked by her, though, he heard her soft sighing breath. She had fallen asleep during the movie, and was curled up on herself, long hair spread out over his pillow.

 _That pillow is going to smell amazing_. Sighing, he walked downstairs, careful not to let the light from the hall wake her up.

* * *

The next morning, Derek was the first to wake up. He rolled over, and there was Casey, right next to him. He was a little startled. When he had finally began to drift off, Casey was still curled in the middle of the bed.

He wasn't too troubled by her movement though. He could never get this close to her when she was awake. If he tried, she'd inevitably start yelling. Since he had the opportunity, he gazed at her. She was calm, and beautiful in that moment. There was a faint layer of eyeshadow that she forgot to take off, making her eyelids a little bit more pink than they should be. Her brown hair framed her face, almost like a painting. Her skin was clear, and it looked so soft. Before he knew what he was doing, he reached a hand up and lightly trailed his fingertips down her cheek, moving a few strands of hair in the process.

She sighed, and he stiffened, terrified she would wake up and catch him…. _caressing_ her. He jerked his hand away and threw the blanket back over his arms.

Sam, lying on the floor, chose that moment to let out one loud snore. Casey's eyes began to flutter, and so Derek shut his, pretending to be asleep. He felt her sit up, the weight gone from that side of the bed. He kept his eyes closed, but he felt something in his hair.

 _Her fingers. She's running her fingers through my hair._ Her hand stopped on his cheek, holding it for a moment. _Is she going to slap me?_ Derek concentrated on not flinching, but before he knew it, the hand was gone from his cheek.

Her heard the soft click of his door, and he knew she was gone.


End file.
